All's Well That Ends Well

Some of you might have caught the blog post that I wrote on Monday, and deleted about fifteen minutes later.  It was the sob story of my lost luggage- and I am happy to report that a mere fifteen minutes after posting my story, I received a call letting me know that my bag had been found in Atlanta (of all places) and was on the next flight to Detroit.  Phew...and it only took four nerve-wracking days.

I am embarrassed to admit that I actually hugged my camera once my bag was back in my possession.  How I love my Canon, let me count the ways.  So now...with a much lighter heart...I feel like my vacation is really, truly starting.

By the way...these gorgeous pictures (taken by the lovely Jamie) are from a book signing party my parents hosted for me in Michigan- lots of pressure to make my next book Markets of the Midwest!  I can't help but agree- Chicago, Detroit, Madison, Traverse City...this book could practically write itself.  Or maybe that's just my Michigan roots talking!  Okay...I'm off...on vacation...here I go...

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Summer Break

I lay my head down on the pillow every night feeling overwhelmingly exhausted...happy, but tired right down to my bones.  Somewhere between caring for my little guy, promoting my book, finishing up a few writing assignments and work commitments, and attempting to continue to cook, clean and have a social life, I realized that I am doing too much, and am desperately in need a break.  So, with this in mind, I booked a plane ticket home a few weeks ago, and we are going to spend some much needed vacation time with my family in Michigan.

I am looking at this month as something of a self-imposed maternity leave.  Nothing but relaxing, and cherishing these lazy summer days.  Not that I won't be busy- little Vijay is into everything these days, and chasing after him is an exhausting endeavor.  He is doing a serious army crawl and is as quick as lighting.  Look away for a minute and he is gone, most likely putting something in his mouth that doesn't belong there.

As for what does belong in his sweet little mouth- homemade baby food!  That's right- now that I have a bit more free time, I am making baby food, and I have to say, it is quite satisfying.  He has a huge appetite and is a big fan of everything I make.  I have found these two books to be very helpful, and full of inspiring, interesting recipes!

While on vacation, I am going to take a wee break from blogging, but I will be back at the end of July with plenty to share.  In the meantime, a few tidbits:

-My book has received some wonderful press...so make sure to be on the lookout for the following magazine, and see if you can spot Markets of New England! I am trying to keep my press page updated with all of the latest mentions...check it out here.

-I recently did an interview on NPR's, The Public Eye with Al Vuona.  It was on the air this past Sunday, and a podcast should be available soon.  It was recorded right after my New Hampshire trip, and I was so tired, I could hardly see straight...which would explain why I started talking about the wonderful farmers markets of Spain (instead of Maine).  Super.

-UPPERCASE just released a sneak peek of the (2!) covers for Issue 10.  Aren't they adorable?!  I am super excited about this issue...mainly because I was able to interview the incredibly talented Pia Jane Bijkerk, and review her latest book, My Heart Wanders.  What an honor...and what a gorgeous book!  I can't wait to see how the article turns out.

That's all for now!

Have a lovely June/ July, and I will see you back here in a few weeks with plenty of summer goodness to share!

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Multi-Tasking Fitness

I woke up this morning with legs that felt like jelly.  I had a painful flash back to high school lacrosse...we lost one championship game in my entire high school lacrosse career, and as punishment, our coach made us do lunges across the football field, stopping only when one of my teammates threw up (i know...great coach, huh?).  Oh, what fond memories.

So what, you might ask, triggered that memory?  Strawberry picking....which apparently, when picking with a 25 pound baby strapped to your chest, results in the same pain as football fields worth of lunges.  Good to know.

But stay with me here...this story has a point.  For those of us that enjoy multi-tasking (and really, who doesn't), strawberry picking with a baby offers the perfect workout.  And the best part about it- you get to spend a perfect afternoon at the farm, come home and bake a fresh strawberry rhubarb crumble with your hard-won loot.

That is my kind of fitness.

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Memory

I have the worst memory, which is a fact that causes me great sadness.  I have lost so many once-cherished memories from my childhood- the years pass and the details just grow foggier, and foggier, until there is almost nothing left.

But the one thing that never fades, is the immense feeling of love that I remember from my younger years.  That is something that is impossible to forget...it stays with me everywhere I go, and it has completely shaped who I have become.  I think about this quite a bit these days as I am now responsible for shaping a new life...one that I want to be filled with memories of love.

He may not remember the specifics of these early years, but he will remember the love, and the fact that I worked hard to incorporate him into my daily adventures.  Like our day yesterday...spent exploring art galleries and museums, having lunch with friends, laughing, talking, learning, experiencing.

We visited the New Bedford gallery of our friend (and potter extraordinaire) Charlie, whose gorgeous work I first spotted during my book writing adventures.  We then made our way to the Whaling Museum, where the little one was completely taken with the enormous whale skeletons hanging from the ceiling.

It was a day of memory making...whether he will remember or not.  Perhaps that is why I have come to cherish this space, which acts as a journal, cataloging all that we do together with words and images.  Maybe there will be a day in the distant future where my boy, all grown up, will come back to this space and read of all that we did together.  And I hope he will read in between the lines, and feel my immense love for the life we are living together.

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Reflections

Despite a rather cold and wet weekend, we did manage to take the loveliest walk yesterday.  I came home with an acute case of garden envy.

I am in awe of people who have figured out how to make it so that there is always something blooming in their garden- cherry and apple blossoms in the spring, roses and peonies in early summer, bluebeard shrubs and butterfly bushes in late summer, and multi-colored mums in the fall.  My garden is getting there...but I haven't quite figured out the seasonal blooming rhythm yet.

I have found, through careful observation, that I love gardens that are a bit wild, a bit untamed.  They somehow seem more enthusiastic their manicured counterparts.  You can always spot them- they're the ones spilling onto the sidewalk, and tumbling into the neighbors yard.

Perhaps one day soon, I will just throw caution to the wind, rip up my entire front lawn, sprinkle wild flower seeds and watch to see what happens when we step out of the way and let nature run its course.

If you are as intrigued with shaping your yard as I am, might I suggest picking up Dominique Browning's Around the House and In the Garden?  The depth with which she writes about our ties to home and garden resonate deeply with me at this moment in time.  I am building, day by day, a home and garden for my young family, to give them memories filled with beauty and comfort...which is no small task.  I will take all the guidance I can.

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Tasting Summer for the First Time

I know there are rules regarding this sort of thing...somewhere in the back of my mind, I think I remember hearing that babies and berries don't mix until a certain age.  Well, rules be damned.  When strawberries, grown right on our porch, are hanging on the vine looking so delicious and plump, I think the babe deserves a bite.  It was the sweetest sight to behold...him grasping the berry in his chubby little hands, gumming it with glee.  How can that be wrong?

We have been spending our afternoons in the garden, rolling around in the grass, running our hands through the herbs, playing in the sprinkler.  I love teaching little Vijay about the garden, where our food comes from, how it grows out of the rich soil with nothing more than sun, water and some tlc.  Our favorite song to sing together is The Garden Song...it never, ever gets old.

He especially loves the brightly colored flowers we pick on our long walks around the neighborhood.  He is just dying to grab them and stuff them into his mouth, which is what he wants to do with everything these days.  For now, he will have to settle for his little helicopter...and the occasional forbidden berry!

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Empty Nest

I returned from New Hampshire to find that the little robin's nest, perched on the fir tree outside our front door, is now empty.  Before our trip, we had been eagerly observing the nest, peering through the branches as the little blue eggs turned into naked chicks.  I felt a kinship with the mother, watching as she tirelessly searched for food, returning to the nest with plump worms.  My heart warmed as I watched her babies peek their heads over the edge of the nest, mouths wide open, waiting for their meal.  I knew that look...my own babe does the same thing when its time to nurse.  His little mouth has always reminded me of a baby bird.

Now the nest is empty, and I am not sure what happened to the mom and her babes, but my heart breaks for her.  I have a sinking feeling that a predator of some kind attacked the nest, wiping out the entire brood.  I searched online, late last night, to see if it might be possible that the chicks had fledged the nest...but everything I read told me that it was too soon for that.

And so I am left to wonder, and to empathize.  Do mother bird's feel pain and grief for the loss of their babies?  I believe they do- as I watched her fiercely protect the nest that she had lovingly built, I had no doubt that she felt as strongly for her young as I do for mine.  Perhaps it is these crazy hormones that cause me to tear up every time I pass her nest...or perhaps I am already mourning the passing of time as I watch my baby become more grown up with each passing day.  No longer does he passively lay in my arms, or sleep on my chest. 

He is busy now, sitting, crawling, trying to stand.  I am so proud of all that he is learning to do...but at the same time, I miss those early days, when he was content to lay peacefully, his soft little head right next to my heart, for hours on end. 

A friend, after reading of my trying travels, wrote me an email reminding me that, "The days are long, but the years are short," as her baby was now graduating from college, and she was left to wonder where the time had gone.  It was the perfect reminder to savor every single moment spent with my little guy, even those exhausting, trying moments.  He is learning to venture farther from his mama, crawling furiously from room to room, and I am running after him, learning how to hold on, learning how to let go.

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Suffice to Say...

New Hampshire kicked my ass.  Yup, that about covers it.

Would you like me to elaborate?  My first two book events- signings in Peterborough and Portsmouth- were disastrous.  The first was rained out (only after I took the time to set up my entire booth), and the second was completely dead, due to the fact there was a huge theater event going on in town.  Add to it the fact that little Vijay was not quite the road warrior I was hoping for (pretty much refusing to sleep during the night), and you have a recipe for disaster.

By the time I arrived at Squam, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Luckily, I held it together for the Squam Art Fair- which was a huge success.  Elizabeth, my dear, YOU know how to throw an event!

I shared a table with Sarah Ahearn Bellemare, whose darling little Ada is the model road warrior.  I wish she would give Vijay some tips.

After the fair, I decided to make the push for home, driving through the night and arriving, in tears, on our doorstep at a little after midnight.  Most babies would sleep during a quiet, dark ride...but not mine!  Nope- he decided to cry for the last hour of the ride, and soon, I was crying right along with him.

Once home, I vowed never to leave again.  But we rested on Sunday, and by this morning, I was feeling much better.  Who's up for a roadtrip?  Kidding- I think we are going to take it easy for a while.  Vijay has morphed into the "happiest baby alive" now that we are home.  What a homebody!

A few things that I am loving right now:

*My book received a mention in The New York Times Sunday Book Review yesterday.  A big thanks to Dominique Browning for including me in her review!

*I bought this little pouch (but in blue vintage ticking) from Jill Bent at the Squam Art Fair and it has changed my life.  Seriously.  I used to have my wallet, keys, lip balm and phone flying around the diaper bag, and I was forever digging for them.  Now, I keep my things separate in this pouch, and never have to search.  Why didn't I think of this sooner?!

**all picture here are from my time at Squam Art Workshops**

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